Pretty Momma
by Helvetica Black
Summary: Set a few years after Breaking Dawn. Renesmee Cullen finds herself jealous of the only other person that Jacob Black loved: her own mother. (Canon pairings. No Bella/Jacob here.)


**A/N: I'm wondering if I should make this into a multi-chaptered story. I originally planned on this being just a oneshot, but I don't know, maybe some of you would like it enough to warrant a second, third, and fourth chapter. Tell me what you think, guys.**

**Reviews are LOVE!**

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It was a dastardly thing, this imprinting business. A girl can never be sure if the wolf who imprinted on her truly loved her. She was bound to always doubt, bound to always wonder, if her wolf would still love her without the imprint. Because even in the most secure bonds there is insecurity, and even the surest and most solid things in life, such as imprinting, are bound to have holes.

Such were the thoughts of young Renesmee Cullen.

She knew from since she was a baby, which frankly was not quite so long ago, that Jacob Black was the one for her. He was it, the first and only man she was going to love her whole life. She knew he loved her too. There was such a complete devotion in every gaze he gave her, such total love and reverence in his every touch, and Renesmee Cullen was neither blind nor numb.

She was also not deaf, which was why she was so frustrated in the first place.

It started two days ago.

It was only meant to be a small joke, merely a short and harmless phrase in one of her Uncle Emmett's usual antics. Emmett made fun of the way Jacob acted around her, and said it was like seeing "Bella's dog" all over again. Renesmee, upon hearing this, asked her uncle what he meant, and he explained that once upon a time, Jacob Black was madly in love with her mother, Isabella.

Renesmee was never quite the same after hearing that.

She understood what Jacob saw, and probably still sees, in her mother. Renesmee actually understood all too well. Isabella Marie Cullen was beautiful, even among vampires. She was strong, kind-hearted, loyal and steadfast in her principles. Admirable and amazing in every respect, it was no wonder she had once captivated Jacob Black. How could Renesmee even think of competing with her perfect mother?

She heard a soft chuckle behind her and realized that it was her father.

He stood by the open doorway, seemingly content on watching her boil in her own thoughts.

"You don't have to compete with your mother, Renesmee," he said reassuringly. "You are amazing in your own way."

"I... I..." she sputtered. She forgot that her dad can hear her thoughts. Sometimes she wished the brain filter came as naturally to her as it did to the other members of her family. Regardless of her gift being thought projection, she still found it uncomfortable when her thoughts were so easily plucked from her head just like that, without her permission. Renesmee knew her father didn't do it intentionally, but still. He was her father, and that made the whole mind-reading thing awkward.

Fortunately for her, her mother was out hunting along with her Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice, and everyone else went Christmas shopping, since the wolves were coming over for Christmas. Renesmee sighed in relief. At least she was used to her father hearing her thoughts. She didn't know how she would deal with the embarrassment of having the others know what she'd been thinking. If Jacob had any idea...

Her father smiled at her serenely, and she wanted to slap her own forehead in shame. But he only placed a steady hand in her shoulder and said, "It would not matter at all, my dear. I'm sure Jacob wouldn't find your thoughts funny or awkward in the least. Besides, he no longer loves your mother as he did before."

But there was still the fact that he _did_ love her mother at some point. _If Jake hadn't imprinted..._ Renesmee was unable to help the frown that crossed her face. "But how could he not? Mom's perfect. He can't want for anything else. While I, on the other hand..." She trailed off, too scared to hear the comparison with her own ears. If Jacob could hear her thoughts, he'd realize she was right, and he would fall right back into love with her mother.

Just the thought of it broke her heart.

Edward laughed heartily at her words. "Ah, young love. I've almost forgotten what it's like to be so young. Your mother is perfect, yes. She is perfect for me, and that is the way it is meant to be. Would you really want your Jacob to pursue your own mother?"

Renesmee frowned. "No. No, of course not. That would be... weird." _And completely devastating_, she added mentally.

"To say the least," her dad said with a chuckle.

_Did Jake... Did he hate you?_ she asked. _I mean, before I was born. Did he hate you for loving Mom? For putting her in danger?_

_For being his rival for Mom's love, _a small voice added in her mind.

Her dad grimaced. "Yes," he murmured softly, his golden eyes darkening with a memory that Renesmee only had a blurry glimpse of as a newborn baby. "Jacob hated me with quite a passion at the time. He even refused to kill me when I thought your mother had died. It was a much more cruel choice, you see, to let me live with her gone."

"Yeah," Renesmee said absently, though in truth she had no idea. The depth of her parents' love was something unfathomable to her, even if she loved Jacob the same way.

"But that is besides the point," her dad said with a soft shake of his head. "He doesn't love your mother that way." The heavy silence that followed sounded very much to Renesmee like a "Not anymore, at least."

"Because he _imprinted_ on me," she mumbled with a surprisingly bitter voice.

"It's not quite what you think," he explained, settling to sit on the recliner beside her bed. "You didn't steal away his free will. He just... discovered that he... that you were the one for him. "

At this, Renesmee cringed. "This conversation is getting weird, dad."

He scowled. "I'm hardly pushing you at him."

"Yes," she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I know that."

But Edward continued, "To me, you will always be too young for... for everything. _Especially_ Jacob. His kind is the antithesis of ours, and you could never imagine the fear that plagues me so. The fear that he would hurt you. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually. I feel like with our immortality, it is inevitable for him to do so."

"But... I'm his imprint."

"Emily Young was Samuel Uley's imprint, and look what happened to her."

"I'm not exactly that breakable," she argued.

Edward sighed. "You're just like your mother."

Renesmee felt her heart freeze between beats. "I... I am?"

Edward saw the doubt forming in her head, and rushed to explain. "She once said the exact same thing to me before. We were hunting, and she wrestled a bear for the first time. I almost had a heart attack."

"Vampires don't get heart attacks."

"Which is exactly my point." He grinned. "Jacob loves you the same way. Need I explain to you the way his mind works? Stop comparing yourself to your mother, Renesmee."

"I don't want to compare myself to Mom. I really don't want to. But after what Uncle Emmett said the other day..." Her mind went back to the memory of her Uncle's words, the words that planted the seed of doubt in her mind.

"I am going to _kill_ Emmett," Edward hissed under his breath.

Renesmee ignored his menacing growl. "Dad, I'm just wondering. What if Jake never imprinted on me? Would he still be in love with Mom?"

For once, her father seemed at a loss for an answer. And his silence scared her more than the thunderous look in his eyes. He kissed her goodnight and quietly left her room with a purposeful stride.

Renesmee stayed awake.


End file.
